Sayantan Bandyopadhyay
Malé, the capital of the Maldives, witnessed a large ‘Lootuvaifi’ (‘Stop the Looting’) rally on 3 October 2025. This was the biggest public demonstration against President Mohamed Muizzu since his election. The opposition Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) issued five key demands during the rally. Strikingly, none addressed the protection of the country’s hydrographic information and maritime data.
This omission comes against the backdrop of China’s expanding presence in the Indian Ocean. Despite President Muizzu’s commitment to the Maldives mapping its own waters, his government has signed opaque agreements with China for hydrographic mapping, and allowed China’s dual-use research vessel, Xiang Yang Hong 03, to dock in Malé. These developments introduce new uncertainties regarding Beijing’s intentions, and raise serious questions about the Maldives’ maritime sovereignty.
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